KANNUR: People in close proximity used to curiously look at the boy who came in his school uniform in the evenings, raised shutters of his office and went inside to spend time there until night. If he evoked a sympathetic response in the beginning, the progress young T N M Jawad made in a short time made them sit up and take notice. And when, at just 21 years, he deals with clients from 15 countries, Jawad commands the respect of those not just in his neighbourhood, but peers from the country and beyond.
The story of Jawad, the managing director of TNM Solutions Private Ltd, a multi-crore IT firm which is into e-commerce, web designing and app development, is truly inspiring.
"It was a real struggle at the start. But I had a dream and worked hard to make it. I knew success would come sooner or later," said Jawad, who now employs more than 100 people.
When Jawad started his company at 16, when he was a Plus One student of computer science at S N Trust Higher Secondary School at Thottada, it was not just his passion about the field that kicked him on, but a sense of commitment towards his family. They were facing financial crisis after his father T N A Khader returned home, having spent eight years in Dubai. To realise it, the computer which his father had presented him at 10, came in handy.
When he shared his plan with his mother Fareeda, who had full confidence in her son, she offered her support. Jawad was good at studies and scored A1 in all subjects in Class X, but she asked him to chase his dream as a web designer. He learned the basics at a private computer centre under two tutors whom he signed to start an office on June 23, 2013 at Thekke Bazar, Kannur. It was the beginning.