"I never learned to lose, tire or despair"
In 1978, a young woman in Ahmedabad began selling edible oil with just 50 tins. The brand was named Ankur, after the Shabana Azmi film running in cinemas that year, an idea of co-founder Vinodbhai Kansagra. Today, Ankur Oil Industries has crossed ₹800 crore in annual turnover, and Jyotsnaben Vachhani still leads it.
Jyotsnaben comes from Kolki in Saurashtra. She studied in Kolki, at Porbandar Gurukul and in Karnool, Andhra Pradesh, and was a fearless child. She married in 1975 into a progressive family, where women had freedom. Her father-in-law, former Gujarat Home Minister Jayrambhai Patel, was a staunch Gandhian. When the family got an offer to run a branded double-filtered oil business in Ahmedabad, they accepted, and Jyotsnaben took charge. Her father-in-law told her that she was better suited to business than to the kitchen, and should pursue it. His advice stayed with her: fix your goal, then chase it with sincerity and patience.
Ankur's range includes groundnut, cottonseed, sunflower, corn and soybean oils, as well as mustard oil. About 15,000 tins are produced and sold every day, 95% of them in Gujarat, with a network in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Three large filter plants run in Changodar, Satej and nearby areas, and the company even makes its own tins and plastic bottles. Every batch passes through a laboratory. Jyotsnaben says she watches the oil market hourly, since prices can change in an hour, and never compromises on quality or service. In Gujarat's oil trade, Ankur's rate often sets the market, and its payments are never late.
She is the only woman among about 1,000 members of the oil association, and she is taken seriously. Her partner, Pradipbhai Khetani, has been with Ankur since 1984 and handles oil purchase. Employees stay for decades, and the company helps with loans and with their children's weddings.
Her toughest moment came in 1995, when her husband, Sudhirbhai, died in a road accident. Her father-in-law told her that sitting at home would not ease the sorrow, and encouraged her to return to the office. She did, and the business kept growing.
Her days are disciplined. She starts with an hour of yoga, reaches the office by 10, and is back home in the evening to cook dinner. She has won honours including the Women Empowerment Award from the Gujarat edible oil traders' federation, and has joined a 15-day exhibition in New Jersey. Her daughter, Nandini, studied law and is completing a master's degree in Australia.
Jyotsnaben prays to Umiya Mataji and Tirupati Balaji. Her story shows what a woman with determination can build.