Irfan Ahmad for BeyondHeadlines
New Delhi: Real life stories can be interesting. It can inspire and transform your life. Such is the story of entrepreneur Revathi Roy. A biography on her life “Who is Revathi Roy?” was launched at Crossword, Kemps Corner in Mumbai recently. This book is written by Dr Swati Lodha and published by Publishing Infinity. The book was released Raveena Tandon and Samina Vaziralli, Executive Vice Chairperson, CIPLA. The launch of the book was followed by a discussion between Dr Swati and Revathi Roy and moderated by Sourav Majumdar, Editor, Fortune Magazine.
Dr Swati said, “As an author, it is a pleasure and a privilege to weave a transformational story that can stand any test of time. Revathi Roy’s story is a masterclass in ‘how to use grit and glee to galvanise your life. Revathi Roy is semi-famous, entrepreneurially famous, not celebrity famous.
Hence, the book is titled “Who is Revathi Roy?” Revathi’s story is predictable in the cliched sense but wait, it is breathtaking in the phoenix sense, turning it phenomenal. This is the journey of an Indian woman who traversed from a privileged child to a protected partner to a penalised prisoner to an exponential entrepreneur. In other words, a rags to riches to revolution story.”
Revathi’s revelry and resilience will inspire each reader to aim for something more than a cookie – cutter life, to let the creativity flow and to fail well. Revathi’s is an action story, packed with decisions – right, not so right and wrong. These decisions would enable readers to navigate their lives better. Revathi’s story is loaded with fun and love. These emotions would enthral the readers to lower their guard and live fluidly.
‘Driving cars’ has been an undying passion for Revathi. Driving has defined and refined her life, constantly. The chapters of the book are titled as ‘The Seatbelt’, ‘The Ignition’, ‘The Speed-breaker’ and so on.
A visibly emotional Revathi Roy said, “I decided to share my story to motivate all the women who wish to change their lives,”
Revathi Roy is an ‘Exponential Entrepreneur’ and TDS rally driver by passion. She turned her passion into mission now. Her first venture FORSHE was born out of her intent to create a fleet of women taxi drivers, a first of its kind. Fate hit her hard but she has always steered the wheel of her life at her own will. A recipient of many awards, such as; The Women of Excellence by FICCI FLO, The Femina Women Jury Award for Social Impact, Women Icons Award at Singapore, NITI AYOG for starting Asia’s first women taxi service, Women of Worthiness Award among others. She also featured on the cover page of Forbes India’s first WPower Women Trailblazers Issue. Today she is empowering over 400 women across 6 states in the country.
Raveena Tandon said, “It is a delight to be a part of Revathi’s journey who is synonymous with women empowerment,”
The book will inspire every reader to push the envelope of their lives, higher and deeper. This book will ignite every reader’s imagination to move beyond the boundaries. This book will warn every reader to be a little discreet in decision making and financial planning. The diva of ‘driving’ is ‘driving change’ today. She is accelerating on the road of life from surviving to thriving with a steady smile.
Samina Vaziralli, Executive Vice Chairperson, CIPLA said, “The story is truly inspirational about resilience against all odds,”
(Irfan Ahmad is a senior journalist. He writes for top publications like The Hindu.)
