Pippal’s success did not come in the blink of an eye. It took him courage, hardwork and passion to become the person he is today.
He was born in a very poor family in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. His father used to run a small shoe reparing shop in order to meet the ends of the family.
As a child, Pippal was a victim of discrimination. When he was in school, his teachers would force him to sit separately from other students in the class.
He started working since early childhood and keeping his education side by side. He would work the entire day and used to study at night. He realised how much education meant to him. But things were even turning worst. His father fell seriously ill when he was in class 10 and the responsibility of the family fell upon his shoulders.
He started finding better jobs but did not get even after facing many challenges and humilation. And when he started working, employers would never bother to pay him. Pippal had no option, but to take a rickshaw puller from his relatives and started running it without the knowledge of his family. He would run the rickshaw by covering his face with a cloth so that nobody would be able to identify him.
After the death of his father, his mother married him to a girl who later encouraged him to go ahead with his dream. He got employed in a factory in Agra as a daily wage labourer with a salary of Rs 80 per month.
Pippal applied for a loan from the Punjab National Bank in 1975 in order to expand his ancestral shop. Luckily, they got a loan of 15,000 but he had to share it with all the members of the family. This resulted in a family dispute, and Pippal and his wife moved to a rented house and left his ancestral home.
He then started a small shoe making and reparing shop where he used to make shoes on a small scale. But luck came his way! He got an order from the State Trading Corporation to supply 10 thousands pair of shoes. This, has boosted his confidence. From the profit that he had earned, he decided to expand his business by launching his own shoe brand known as, ‘Harrykson’.
Pippal started getting orders from many renouned companies that made him built his own export company called, ‘People’s Exports Pvt Ltd’. It manufactured footwear for many international brands as well.
He also started a restaurant in the year 1980 and named it ‘Agrawal’. He received many criticism for being a Dalit and named his restaurant as Agrawal, but he went on with his business and became successful. He also built a beautiful wedding house out of the profit that he got from the restaurant.
Pippal also deals with vehicles and started a publishing firm. In 2001, he started the People’s Heritage Hospital in Agra.
Today, Hari Kishan Pippal earns more than 100 crore of rupees anually. He is one of the successful businessmen that India has. His hardwork and determination have paid off and there is no looking back.