KOCHI: Six years ago V-Guard group founder Kochouseph Chittilappilly redefined the word “charity” by donating his own kidney to a truck driver he do not know. The gesture created a chain reaction, not only in the state, but across the nation and created awareness about organ donation. In his book ‘The Gift’, published recently, Kochouseph describes how he “gave away a kidney and got richer at heart”.
In one chapter he says, “That’s the way life worked. It threw new ideas and adventures on our path every day. It was a matter of picking and choosing what you wanted”.
The company was started in 1977 at a cheap lodge in Kochi with `1 lakh that Chittilappilly borrowed from his father. Now it is a Rs 1,750 crore national establishment with a decent presence in global markets.
A physics post graduate, he wanted a job at ISRO or BARC but never succeeded, ending up at Telex Limited, an electric firm. “I spent three years there as a supervisor. Then I realised that there is no growth for the company and my future had become a question mark,” Chittilappilly recalled.
Now, the group boasts amusement park chain Wonderla, Veegaland Developers and V-Star. Kochouseph is fully occupied with Veegaland Developers. “When my sons Arun and Mithun grew up, they started to looking after Wonderla and V-Guard. Then, I became unemployed. I started Veegaland Developers to be engaged. Now, I am fully involved with the day to day affairs of the company,” smiles Chittilappilly.
A versatile human being, the man is not only a hugely successful entrepreneur but is also a writer (with five books under his belt so far—three in English and two in Malayalam), a mentor and motivational speaker, an organ donation campaigner, a leader of the Stray-Dog-Free Movement in Kerala and a lot more besides.
An ardent reader, Kochouseph says he reads newspapers and books in the morning (he wakes up at 5.30 am everyday ever since his college days) and spends an hour on exercise. “When going through newspapers I note down points on a book. Later I develop it into an article and post on social media. Mainly issues related to society,” he explains.
Even though Chittilappilly is an avid news guzzler, he is also a fan of National Geography, Animal Planet, Discovery and History channels. He says he likes to read biographies and self-help books, reading more than one at a time.
His another interest is traveling. The idea of Wonderla, he points out, struck him when they visited Disney Land and Universal studios. It isn’t suprising, when taking his TV preferences into consideration, that safaris in Tanzania and Kenya are another passion of his.
But nothing beats his passion for social work. “My social activities are part of my social commitment. When I started business too, I was socially responsible, I paid my taxes with great transparency. I brought only `1 lakh from my home. The rest was given by the society. I respect that,” Kochouseph signs off.