CHENNAI: A father’s support is crucial for his child, be it emotionally or financially. Ahead of Father’s Day, Her Story India invited CK Ranganathan, founder chairman of CavinKare, to share his relationship with his father and his children with regard to the business world at Radio Room, Somerset, on Saturday.
“I had very little interaction with my father because those days we were not on equal footing with our father, unlike today. We are six siblings, and he is one of the finest gentlemen I know. He was the one who taught me to keep innovating with products,” shared Ranganathan. Born in Cuddalore, he founded CavinKare in 1998 after working in his father’s company for a short period of time. Ranganathan shared that his father also instilled in him the desire to learn the English language better, which helped him in his business.
Ranganathan believes in guiding children towards lucrative opportunities in life, rather than letting them choose with no guidance. He said that once the options are laid out in front of their children, parents need to take a step back and let them chose their own path. “The current generation is such that they don’t want to continue the family business. Very few want to take it up, and many want to prove themselves in their own chosen field before entering the family business. We, as parents, must support them,” he said.
When it comes to his own children, however, Ranganathan said he wanted them to fail. “I told all three of them that I wish they fail in their endeavours because failure teaches you much more than success. I will give them all the support they need, but when they fail, they learn and grow from it,” he said. The knowledge that their father is behind them and will support them without judgement, he said, offers children a sense of safety and room for growth.
This talk was organised by Her Story India, an initiative by friends Vishala Ramaswami and Niranthara Muthiah that was launched in March 2019. Having studied in England and experienced the space for debate and discussion there, they decided to bring the concept to Chennai. They have organised four events so far. Topics such as feminism, development and social issues are the key focus.
“We invited Ranganathan because he has always talked about women empowerment and diversity in the workplace. We don’t want men to be excluded from the topic of feminism, and it is important that fathers are involved in the conversation,” said Muthiah.
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