The Real Padman of India | Arunachalam Murugunatham | Incredible Inspirational Story

In many parts of India, women or girls are using

sawdust,

dried tree leaves

newspapers

as even one part of India sand

and north east side, one community, if women are getting menstruation

they are going and siting on a stock of hay

I told the story to forbes magazine

They came out with special article "Women sitting on stock of hay"

then while I am talking this, don't think I'm a gynaecologist or a doctor.

I am a school dropout. That's why this is a warning.

Still now I don't know the vocabulary of

???

I'm going to speak wrong English for another 19 mins

To get succeed in your life or to design something new

First of all, more than the knowledge, you need clarity

You need "pakka" (sure) clarity

Luckily I never get educated, my mind is always clear.

The moment you do two biggest and there is a French cut then

you are the almost confused person in the world I know

you can't take any decision

So I born as a handloom weaver's son

in southern part of India

in orthodox city called coimbatore

you can't see a girl wearing a tight jeans

and smoking in a street, it's very difficult

so in such a city, I born as handloom weaver's son

He died in a road accident, all of a sudden, my father

then my mother became care taker for a family

then to support my mother, I stopped my schooling, that's what happened

then I became workshop helper and then I became a welder

then you know, I became the owner of small workshop

having a small business at the age of 24,

what is next

even after seeing many people are suffering

it is very costly, even after knowing everything

I also did the same mistake, one day I also got married

then from that day, without a formal management degree

from any institute

I am managing my mother and wife

at the same home for the 17 consecutive successful year.

so what I'm talking

the management people they know, because giant family is such a beautiful system in India to learn management, not IIM.....

so like that life gone

one day I saw, my wife carrying something behind her

in the lunch time, I thought she is playing with me, then I asked, what is it

she replied like slapping on my cheek, it't none of your business

usually the Indian housewife

don't answer like this

then I thought this is playing with me, ran behind her, I saw

nasty red cloth, I don't even use to clean my scooter

then I understand that she is adopting

unhygienic method to manage the period

then I asked her, why you are adopting this method

now there are sanitary towels in market

she replied instantly that I also know about that

but myself, your sister and other women in our family start using that

then we have to cut family milk budget, she replied

then I said, what is the connection between using a sanitary pad

and not buying milk for family then I understood that it's matter of affordability

so being a newly married guy

just I am asking the elder people here

just go back to your early marriage days, what you did

what is your important job if you get married

only one thing, if it is arranged marriage

impress your brand new wife, that's my important job

to impress her, I used to offer 5 rupees

pendent, plastic pendent or 10 rupees glass bangle

not giving direct, I used to give wrap, there is a color ribbon

I used to say my wife name Shanti, Shanti close your eyes

turn left, turn right, this way I am giving a value addition

for 5 rupees plastic pendal

because I am not a Shah Rukh Khan [Popular Indian Actor] to give every time a diamond pendal

now after seeing it, I'm having a idea in my mind, again I am getting a chance

why not offer a sanitary packet as a gift, that's what I got

the only, if you want all brands of sanitary towel

even now the only place in India is medical shop

in abroad you have to say drug store, pharmacy

there are lot of English words

If you say medical shop in abroad, they will not know, what medical shop,

then I understood, drug store, pharmacy

then I went to the medical shop in my village

that shopkeeper asked me, what brand you want, who knows what brand and all

I just point out a particular packet in the showcase

what he did on that day, he took the packet, he never gave directly

he wrapped old newspaper, he packed, he looked left and right

he hand out me like a smuggling product

still now we ask for a sanitary pad, they will put in a brown cover or something

because the shopkeep doing like this, I thought what is inside

it become a curiosity, if I open a packet, something will jump out like a frog

from the packet

that's why I open the packet at my home

very first time, I am touch a sanitary towel in my life

an 8 inch length, white color substance like a bandage

then I am asking how many of the men in this hall

you ever touched a sanitary pad in your life

I know only few hands

even in Washington, while I am sitting with Bill Gates also

I asked, how many men here touched sanitary towel

only few, even Bill Gates never raised

that's why Manmohan Singh [former Indian PM] don't know what is sanitary pad

??? don't know sanitary pad, ??? don't know sanitary pad

penetration level is less than 19%

then after seeing the substance

I thought it is 10 gram cotton, the raw material cost

may be 10 paise in 1994

then I thought why not make a sanitary pad

a low cost sanitary pad for my wife "Shanti" all it happened from my wife

please note down gentlemen, if you want fame,

if you want money, start from your wife

do something good for your wife, you become famous, OK

then

I went to a textile mill, I bought a cotton

I made a sanitary towel, my own, in two days

now the problem starts that, what I am talking on the public dais

the menstruation topic, wife never talks to husband,

daughter never talk to mother, friends, they don't talk each other

such a subject, I am handing on a public dais

even I'm doing it for 100 times

nothing like walking on a sword, that's why I'm making lot of jokes

such a subject I took for a research in a orthodox village

I don't know, what is going to happen, but the problem is

I made a sanitary towel but you need woman volunteer

In India, only swamiji/guruji [ascetic or yogi] surrounded by 100s of women,

whether they ask or not

this Murugunatham [him] will never get single one volunteer

the only victim is my wife "Shanti"

as usual I gift the packet

I said fine one lunch time, close your eyes "Shanti"

then put the packet at the home. The moment she opened gets shocked

oh my god you are doing this research

like give a chocolate, I asked the feedback, to see

who knows what is happening in the female body, nothing

that's why I am telling only

many men in this country, they become a man

then husband, father, grand father,

great grandfather

then they are dying without knowing, what is happening

with their partner's body

luckily I came to know everything in my early marriage days

then after 3 weeks I got that feedback

Shanti says what you gave me, very nasty

then the research started, I am making different different

cotton and making napkin and hand over to shanti

waiting for a month time, it's a time taking process

time is running

then I catches my younger sisters

but what you see, something I am trying to co-create a product

co-creation basis, right, I think

I, usually I will get feedback, very bad

But the feedback, I wont get

like maniratnam [director] film, they used to one word

Yes, No, OK that too they will turn towards wall

feed back

so how can I do

then I catches the medical college girls, there also problem

even the medical college girls also, they never cooperate

then finally I decide, I wore a sanitary pad

where I can go for uterus, I made artificial uterus in a football bladder.

I fill animal blood in it, I tied here, connection to tube

connection to napkin which I wore

while I am walking and cycling, I made a small press, a dosage of blood will go

so this way I check

this make a problem

there is a blood stain on my cloth, if you come near

there is a ??? around me

you see the complete story happened in a small village called

??? in coimbatore , not in san Francisco

or Las Vegas, so something is happening around me, I never realised

because I hide the matter to my family

I am doing research with medical college girls, one day while Shanti serving lunch

she is asking me permission, I am going to ask one thing, don't mistaken me

then I said, go ahead,

then that word ???, I am going to ask one thing, don't mistaken me, go ahead

many of my friends saying that you are roaming with medical college girls

I said, this is my highest dress code to speak in JOSH Talk

you just imagine, 15 years back, my dress code

I said, I went to that medical college to repair the main gate

she never convinced

she said I am getting bored, I want to go to my parents home for few days

I dropped her at my mother in law home

she never came back, on 20th day I got a divorce notice, thats my first shock

I never too it so serious because

I took it this way, Shanti is giving a shock treatment

to make me to drop the research, before

she is coming back, I want to complete research because my mother

is with me, there is no problem for food

you know, as ...

the girl like said, I never entered into my kitchen

the whole of my lifetime, I never washed my clothes

so whats that girl told me is very perfect

then even after using the medical college girls

using myself

I'm not convinced

but one point of time, I did a very risky one, I used to collect used pad from the medical college girls

I spread of them at the backyard of my home

I am seriously ???, why it is becoming so tough

the research which I entered is a secret domain

how soft drinks companies monopolised by Pepsi and Coke

this is the domain which is monopolised by Procter & Gamble (P&G) Johnson & Johnson worldwide

nobody knows what is happening, nothing

now what is Murugun [him] is doing, I'm rubbing my shoulder with

Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, I am able to stay

successful 10th year, that's why it become viral across globe

the school dropper rubbing shoulder with multinational is able to sustain

then

on fine Sunday I'm very seriously researching

what is happened to my napkin

I never realised my mother is coming back

she thought son is cleaning cutting country chicken for Sunday

the moment comes and saw the substance, she started crying like anything

somebody did on my son, he is becoming totally mad

she also left, the moment mother left, the whole village

what they thought Murugun [him] having illegal connection with many girls

that's why I got sexual disease then bad spirt entered in my body and

becoming vampire in the evening, I am drinking girl's blood

that's why they want to chain my both the legs

in the holy tree up side down, it's a gram panchayat [village council] or they want to chase me out of the village

before they chaining or do something, I ran away from my village

I stayed in a near by city

one among 6 people, already they are staying

after 2 years, I understand the material

even after another problem is coming, You need this multimillion dollar machine

to process the material

if I asking the surplus educated people here

if you are trying to do something , it is become hard

more harder then it become a mountain, what you will do

you are trying to do something, it become harder, more harder

it become a mountain, it is a clear indication

by Shiva [Hindu Lord] or Jesus, go ahead

if you do it, you will get a occlude.

the same time you are trying to do something, it become easy

don't do it, even you are doing, it's useless

then I spent another 4 and half years

on this method, how many of you know this method

it is nothing

even you are paying 8 millions to design school

if you are coming out trying to design new thing

only method given by god is "trial and error" method

since I did on my own money

not even with my mother in law money, my own money

and many times I used to donated my blood for traveling expenses

at my small workshop, I am boldly saying

I did innovation on trial & error method

then I am using ???

there is a small workshop as a department

the same thing if big corporates are doing or

government, they are doing on public money or tax money

or nasa or ISRO, they coin the word,

a stupid word, this

ha ha ha :D

what they are doing :D ha ha

oh my god oh

R & D ohhhh, it's called...nothing they did

so don't

I am begging the younger generation in the hall

don't think oh my god, this is for NASA, ISRO

DRDO, nothing, dilute into this, it's meant for everyone

do don't be... the moment you say trial & error

the probability is failure for more

if you are starting something in morning

you meeting failure in afternoon, you are the luckiest person

fail fast, that's the success mantra, don't...success fast..OK

this is...fail fast

out of it, after 4 years, I designed this machine

then even after we are having the IPR rights

but we never tried to sell on dealer distributor or model something

so we are giving this machine or technology to poor women like this

these women are called naksals, see the naksals women

in Ananthpur

these women are eating only good food on festival days

then I took the machine on donkey's back in rudraprayag

then only the government lay the road

it's a 18 hours drive from the Dehradun

the village is situated on the mountain slopes

I don't know how many villages are coming into Indian census

and this is the back view

even you are having cancer, go and stay there for two months

walk on the tribe road, with tribe people, you will get 6 packs here

and the cancer will be cured

so that's what I told, this is called rural marketing

Johnson & Johnson will take another 25 years to reach the place

Murugun [him] is already there

then in schools, the school girls are making their own pads

like hot koliwada, if school permissions

and then finally end up with the president's award

then what I am saying

something in your mind

a business comes then the next word is retail

what I'm saying, in India

the big multinational having their presence since independence

in-spite why 90% women are not using

they come out as a model of retailing

even in this hall, anybody tried business, only thing

now all bansals,

everybody making lot of noise on this

both the models cant help

to make a social change

it can make billions or trillions not social change

that's why how I am dare to compete with Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson

not in these both the platform for money

our model is D-Tailing

anyone in this hall, can compete Anil Ambani,

Ratan Tata, anyone if you try to do this method

out of it, we created around 867 local brands

in India only

that survey is against multinationals

that's why the story became viral, all over the globe

that's why I am talking with

Unilever CEO, Paul Polman

OK, I gave a lecture to 77 CEOs

of Unilever in their headquarters

the block coat is Sanjiv Mehta, Hindustan Lever,

he is handling 7 countries from Mumbai, then

with the Gates, not in ???, in Seattle

he is laughing, MIT chief Susan is laughing

???

so what I'm telling, so don't look for a opportunity, which is out dated method

so if you want to succeed, look for a problem, including from your wife

and resolve it with your idea and

so far 24 different mission setup, so these are the world giving titles

finally they call me as a "corporate bomber",

I never put any bomb on any corporate, they put and recently I selected as a

most influential person of the world, by time magazine, 4 people are selected

Narendra Modi our prime minister

Arvind Kejriwal, Arundhati Roy they all are OK

then Arunachalam Murugunatham

ha ha then I never believe

I thought one of the person will come either

Narendra Modi sir or Arvind Kejriwal...I can stand together, see this is my English, nobody is come

finally Murugun is representing India in New York, you see

there are very elite people

then I am walking like Aishwarya Rai in red carpet, every feet I have to step

then I turn and laugh, 100 guys are taking photograph

you see, a white background

I am managed some how the reports and media

then I am going to first floor, again there is a media

they told it's a elite media

then they are bombarding questions

they are asking, the election time

we feel Modi is Indian Putin, what's your opinion

if I say yes, if I gave blunder and come Delhi, BJP [Ruling Party] will kill me

then they are asking the stand you took on Sri Lanka is not good

what do you think, I can't say go and ask Manmohan Singh

then one girl is chasing, all the crowd coming near to me

only one question

why modeling is not picking up in India?

why modeling is not picking up in India? what I can say

then I said humbly, Shanti [his wife] is not interested

ha ha :D

so...

this crowd...

so the message, social impact created is

more than ???

and the reason is very important, so our mission is

creating 1 million employment for ruler women

and making India, 100% sanitary napkin country

from current level of less than 5%

so this a cumulative achievement for independent India

from current level of less than 5%

so this a cumulative achievement of independent India from

1947 to 2015

with 13 presidents and don't know how many prime ministers and millions of

??? vehicles whenever I stopped in traffic

"talking about motorcade", I Iaugh, oh my god

where you are going

you people make India 5% sanitary pad country

whoever I read, India is going to send a woman to MARS

I laugh, oh my god, first give the sanitary pad, before sending them to MARS and Moon

ha ha ha :D

even our team is able to make it a greater success

because ???

and the mission is not only meant for India, now its matching for

106 developing nations, we spread already these coutnries

that's this is called a "silent pink revolution"

and that's why this is called beyond marketing

Thank you very much, Bye!