Meet man, who worked as peon, built Rs 139000 crore company, known as…

Balvant Parekh was a law graduate, a book lover, a peon, and a freedom fighter, but most importantly, he was a great entrepreneur from post-independence India. Parekh founded the billion-dollar company Pidilite Industries, the company behind Fevicol; since founding the company, he has become known as 'The Fevicol Man of India.' He was also a man with social values who founded two schools, a college and a hospital in Mahuva, Gujarat.

Balvant Parekh's full name is Balvantray Kalyanji Parekh, who was born in Mahuva, Gujarat. At that time, the nation was fighting for independence, and Parekh, as the country's youth, participated in the struggle for freedom before deciding to study law. He was involved in the Quit India movement, but he chose to study law because his family was pressuring him to study. Even though Balvant had passed the Bar Council Exam and obtained a law degree, his heart was still in business. Living in a factory basement with his wife and working as a peon, he had to endure many hardships. 

An opportunity to visit Germany presented itself after years of hardship, and there he gained insightful business knowledge. In Mumbai, he and his brother co-founded Parekh Dyechem Industries. They developed the adhesive known as Fevicol. 

In 1959, Fevicol was introduced in India. The business changed its name to Pidilite Industries in the same year. Fevicol became popular as an approachable glue designed specifically for carpenters. Pidilite Industries began as a single small shop and eventually grew to dominate the adhesive market. At present, the company has a market capitalization of about Rs 139000 crore.